318 M40 steering pump problems
Moderator: martauto
I am having a problem with the power steering pump on my 318i M40, all was well until I changed the cambelt recently. When I put it all back together again the power steering pump/steering was making 'groaning' noises when the wheel was turned either way. I had found it difficult to adjust the belt tension and on closer examination noticed that the teeth on the adjuster bar were worn, after a bit of fettling managed to adjust the belt to the right amount of tension and the noises disappeared, everything was fine for a few hundred kms, now it has come back again though the problem seems intermittent. I tried re-adjusting the belt tension but it made no difference. Any suggestions or is the pump really on its way out after 285000kms?
I think you are about right there!. I might have sorted the issue for the moment. When I put the power steering belt back on I noticed that the pump's lower pivot bolt was loose so I tightened it up , however as the pump must have been running at a slight angle, it had worn that way, coupled with an end float of over 1mm, when was returned to its correct position something was clearly chafing inside, I slackened the bolt off and it is almost back to where it was , there is a lot less noise but the steering is a bit heavier so the pump is on its way out and will now be scheduled for replacement, I can do the worn adjuster bar and replace the leaking power steering hose at the same time. ... there's always something to do.